"E" for effort, but the Edmonton Oilers still take the "L" in a 4-2 loss to Leafs – Edmonton Journal

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The short-handed Oilers allowed a seeing-eye empty net goal late, spoiling a solid effort in Toronto with a 4-2 loss to the Leafs.

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With the likes of Connor McDavid, Ryan Nugent-Hopkins, Tyson Barrie and Derek Ryan others out of the lineup for various reasons, the club (including several press box regulars) put in the requisite work.

But that still didn’t spell a win, or erase the fact that the club is now 2-9-2 in their last 13.

Here’s the tale of the tape.

Edmonton Oilers Player Grades

MIKE SMITH . 6. Smith gave the club a chance to win, even though his own game was far from perfect. Opened the night with a puck that banked off the end boards through a partial screen/deflection and then bounced off Smith’s heel and into the net for the 1-0. That smacked of “rust”, as Smith doesn’t normally pull off his post that easily. But Smith then went on a terrific run, punctuated by a massive blocker save on a Nylander breakaway late in the 2 ^nd Period to keep the game in check. Also stopped Bunting (twice) and Matthews (twice) before finally getting caught deep in his crease on the 3-2 PP goal. Had zero chance on the 2-2.

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RYAN McLEOD . 6. McLeod was quite good in a significant step-up in weight class. Only allowed one HDSC against and was a 52% CF and 50% on draws during his 13:32 as a 2C. That, against a Toronto club loaded down the middle. McLeod’s best chance on offence was a 2 ^nd Period power move off the wall on which he beat everyone but himself, attempting a cross-mouth pass…not realizing there was a gaping net in front of him. His “shot” hit Jack Campbell in the back and stayed out. McLeod will see that play in his sleep tonight.

ZACH HYMAN . 4. Hyman is still not back to where he was before the injury. As always, the work rate was present and consistent. But the results weren’t, as the ugly -3 in his box-score would indicate. Still, he had 2 shots, 2 hits and 2 shot blocks. Hyman and Draisaitl also turned a puck North on the Leaf’s 2 ^nd Period Power Play and managed a scoring chance at the other end. Alas, the next PK unit wasn’t as effective.

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JESSE PULJUJARVI . 5. A little too quiet on a night when some of your big guns are out of the lineup and you need him to step up. Puljujarvi’s best chance was a big 3 ^rd Period blast which Campbell managed to handle. That was 1 of 2 shots. And he did manage to come up with a couple puck battle wins. But he has yet to hit his stride since a stay on COVID protocol. Might be a factor.

DARNELL NURSE . 4. Darnell Nurse’s unforced icing in the 2 ^nd Period led up to a Toronto faceoff win and the 2-2 goal (albeit on a rather fortuitous bounce). That was aside from his 0 HDSC’s For and 5 Against on a challenging night fore the 1 ^st pairing of Nurse and Bouchard. But…Darnell also played 24:49 in all 3 areas of the game, collecting 2 shots, 3 hits and 4 shot blocks along the way. Nurse wasn’t great, but some of that was his young partner having “a night”.

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EVAN BOUCHARD . 3. A rough outing for the kid on the 1 ^st pairing, including a 3 ^rd Period where he was eaten up defensively. That included coughing up a puck that he had full control of and taking a penalty in the process. Toronto subsequently converted that into the winning goal on the Power Play. Walked by Nylander. Beat back into his own end to negate a possible icing. Bouchard did add some offensive punch including 4 shots on goal and a silky end-to-end 3rd Period rush. But for all his skill, he needs to bear down more in his own zone.

LEON DRAISAITL . 7. In the absence of his buddy Connor, Draisaitl was what you hoped he would be: the Oilers best player. Swept home the 2-1 goal in front for his 26 ^th of the season. Leon led the club in shots with 5 and in TOI with 24:49. That included 2:22 on the PK, more than his 1:42 on the PP. How often does that happen? Shouldered a heavy load in the face-off circle and came up just shy of break-even (46%). One of the few negatives…a failed zone clear on the 1-0. Named the game’s 3 ^rd star. Tied for the NHL lead in point with 53, goal leader with 26.

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WARREN FOEGELE . 6. It’s not always pretty with Warren Foegele’s game. In fact, some of his best moments were when he was grinding. Led the club with 4 hits, a part of his game I’d like to see more of. A good play along the wall helped lead directly to the 2-1. I also noted a furious effort on a 1st Period fore check. I’m pretty sure 20:38 is his most TOI in a game this year. Huh…go figure. He plays better with better players.

KAILER YAMAMOTO . 6. I saw Kailer Yamamoto hustle with every step that he took tonight. Rewarded with an assist on just a beautiful set-up on the Draisaitl goal. Also dug out a couple pucks from Leafs control. Cleared a puck from the crease after it had hit the post behind Mike Smith but stayed out. An effective 2-way effort from guy who has been struggling.

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DUNCAN KEITH . 6. Duncan Keith was the club’s best D-man on the team’s best D-pairing this evening. The combination of TOI, High Danger Scoring Chances For Against and a break-even night in CF 5v5 backs up what the eyes saw. Keith was also +1 in 21:22 of work. A hit, a takeaway. Won a puck battle key to keeping the play alive on the 1-1 goal. Saved a goal by out-battling Tavares for a would-be 2 ^nd Period tap-in to keep the score at 2-2. On a solid run of games, now.

CODY CECI . 5. Ceci lost puck battle deep in his own zone which eventually led to the 1-0, although the goal itself was a bit suspect. But he also had 2 shots (one a very good chance, off a pass from Draisaitl) and 3 hits in an otherwise solid 21:41 alongside Keith. The HDSC count shows that he and his partner sawed-off against a healthy Toronto club. You’ll take that, I think.

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DEVIN SHORE . 4. Shore stepped in to take 3C minutes, which I respect him for doing. But he was badly exposed at times. Evidence? 6-12, 33% CF 5v5. 33% in the circle, including a face off loss on the winning goal. A 3 ^rd Period takeaway led to a good chance for Kassian.

TYLER BENSON. 5. Benson handled his step up to the 3 ^rd line nicely. Drew a 2 ^nd Period Power Play with a hard fore check behind the Leafs net. Set up Kassian for an excellent chance with a 2 ^nd Period keep. 1 shot of his own in 10:10, double what he normally sees.

ZACK KASSIAN . 4. Looked very rusty, something I’ve come to expect from any player returning from COVID protocol. But he did have 3 shots on goal, including a dangerous one off a smart play by Benson to keep the puck in the zone. A 1 ^st Period O-Zone turnover led to a chance at the other end.

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SLATER KOEKKOEK. 4. A fair bit of wobble in Koekkoek’s half of the 3 ^rd pairing. But while be bent he didn’t break. A good chance in the 1 ^st off a nice Draisaitl pass. A big shot block in the 2 ^nd Period. I felt he was able to get out of Smith’s eyes on the 3-2.

WILLIAM LAGESSON . 6. I thought this was perhaps William Lagesson’s best effort as an Oiler. His finest moment was a gritty point-blank shot block on a 2 ^nd Period PK. 2 hits in 12:05. He was solid all night. Battled hard.

COLTON SVEVIOUR . 6. An excellent 2-way game. A perfect pass across to Perlini for the 1-1 1 ^st Period goal. A 2nd Period takeaway and clear. 2 hits and a block in 10:08. The only rough patch in his game was 38% on draws.

BRENDAN PERLINI . 6. Blasted home his 2 ^nd goal of the season on a beautiful set-p by Sceviour. Drove the net hard on a 2 ^nd Period chance but was clipped on his way to the net (no call) and his shot skiffed wide. 3 shots in 9:37.

KYLE TURRIS. 6. Back-to-back games with a point for Kyle Turris. His assist in this one was on a smart chip up the wall to Sceviour leading to the 1-1. Had 1 shot of his own. Saw a little PP time, too (set up Draissaitl for a shot).

Edmonton’s record slides further still, to 18-14-2. Up next? Ottawa, Monday.

Find me on Twitter @KurtLeavins

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